Meat-gutting machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. C. W. HINRIGHS.

l MEAT CUTTING MACHINE. No. 588,828. Patented Aug. 24,1897.

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(No Modell) -3 sheets- Sheena -C. W. HINRICHS. MEAT CUTTING MACHINE.

PatentedAug. 24, 1897,

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. W. HINRICHS.

MEAT CUTTING MACHINE.

1HE mums Pnsns cn. Pnomumo.. wAsumnToN. D. c.

UNrrnn STAT-ns lPATEN FFICE@ CHRISTIAN W. I-IINRICIIS, QF S'IJLOUIS, MISSOURI.

MEAT-ezU-r/TING Alvlricmtlr..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,828, dated' August 24, 189'?.

lamination het octoberlaise. saturo. 603,640. (Nomaden i To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTIAN Wj HIN# RICHS, of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Meat-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the Vaccompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to meat-cutting machines; and it consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

Figure l is a top plan view of my improved meat-cutting machine, parts being broken away to more clearly illustrate the construction. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 isa side elevation of the left side of the machine, looking in the direction indicated bythe arrow 3 in Fig.'1. Fig. 4 isla rear elevation of the machine, looking in the direction indicated by the arrow4 in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View taken approximately on the line 5 5' of Fig. l and looking in the direction indicated by the arrow, parts being broken away to economize space. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken approxij mately on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5, partsbeing broken awayto economize space. Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional View taken approximately on the line 7 7 of Fig. Fig. Sy is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the lines S S of Figs. l and 9, parts being broken away to economize space. Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8, parts being broken away to economize space. Fig. l0 is a plan view of a portion of one of the knife-carrying shafts and an illustration of the method of attaching the knives to the shaft. View taken approximately on the line ll l1 of Fig. l0. Y l

For convenien ce and precision in describing the machine I will designate the belt side of the machine or that side shown in elevation in Fig. 4 as the rean The side opposite the belt side I will designate the front, and the right and left sides of the machine are designated as they would appear to a person standing in front of the machine In the construction of my improved meat- Fig. ll is atransverse sectionalI cutting machine I employ the base 20, which base'is covered by the rigid base-plate 2l. The base 2O consists of the rear piece 22, the front piece 23, and the side pieces 24 and 25, connectin g said rear and front pieces.

The rear piece 22 consists of the vertical corner-posts 26 andf27 and the horizontal bars 28 and 29, connecting said posts, and the horizontal bar 29 connects the upper ends of the posts 26 and 27 and the horizontal bar 28 connects Jthecentral portions of said posts. The corners of the opening 30, which opening is formed by the horizontal bars 28 and 29 and the posts 26 and 27, are rounded, as indicated by 3l. The horizontal bar 29 is rectangular in cross-section and stands upon its edge, its Vertical measurement being two or three times as great as its horizontal measurement, and the slot 32 is formed approximately in the center of the upper edge of said horizontal bar. Projections 33 and 34 extend toward each other from the lower ends of the posts 26 and 27 and form feet for said posts.

The portions 35 of the rear piece 22 are segments of a circle upon their edges, and said circle corresponds substantially to the circle described bythe por'tions'3l.l The horizontal bar 28 is in theform of an angle-barin crosssection, the web 36 of the bar projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane and the web 37 eXtendingvdownwardly with its outer face in alinement with the outer faces of the posts 26 and 27 and the horizontal bar 29. The web 36 and the bar 28 iscut enough shorter than the horizontal bar 29 to allow the side pieces 24: and 25 to be insertedagainst the ends of said web 36, with their outer faces in alinement with ,the ends of the horizontal' bar 29, as shown in Fig. 7. Y Asplit bearing 3,8 rests upon the horizontal bar l2S, and the lower part 39 of saidA bearing is formed integral with the upper face of the web 36 of the horizontal bar 2S.

i The construction of the front piece23 is identical with the construction of the rear piece 22, with the exception that the slot 32 is omitted and a slot 40 is formed near one end and from the upper face of the horizontal bar 29. The rear piece 22 andthe front piece 23 are each cast integral, as described.

TheVleft-hand side piece 24 consists of the IOO lwardly as they extend outwardly, as shown in vertical posts 41 and 42 and the horizontal l bars 43 and 44, connecting said posts. The horizontal bar 44 connects the upper ends of the posts 41 and 42 and the horizontal bar 43 connects the central portions of said posts. The horizontal bars 43 and 44 are rectangular in cross-section and their vertical measurements are two or three times as great as their horizontal m easurements. The portions 45 of the side piece 24 are segments of a circle, formed by the junction of the horizontal bars with the vertical posts. The projections 46 and 47 extend toward each other from the lower ends of the posts 4l aud42 and form feet for said posts. Ahorizontally-cxten din g recess 48 is formed in the upper edge of the horizontal bar 44.

The right-hand side piece 25 is identical in construction with the side piece 24, except that the recess 4S is omitted. The leftehand side piece 24 and the right-hand side piece 25 are each cast integral, as described, and the ends of said side pieces are inserted against the inner faces of the ends of the front and rear pieces, with the ends of the webs 3G against the inner faces of said side pieces and the lag-screws 49 inserted through the ends of said side pieces and into the ends of said webs 36, as shown in Fig. 7.

The bearings 3S upon the rear piece 22 and the front piece 23 are in alinement with each other, and a shaft 50, carrying the worm 51, is placed in said bearings. The upper portions 52 of the bearings are held in position and rigidly secured to the lower portions 30 of the bearings by means of the lag-screws 53, and oil-boxes 54 are attached to said upper portions 52 iu the usual way. A collar 55 is placed upon the shaft 50, inside of the bearings carried by the rear piece 22.

A belt-wheel 56 is rigidly mounted on the shaft 50 behind the rear piece 22 with its hub engaging the rear face of the bearing and holding said shaft from lateral movement. A smaller belt-wheel 57 is rigidly fixed to the shaft 50 behind the beltwheel 5G, and a beltwheel 57, similar iu every respect to the beltwheel 57, is loosely mounted behind said belt-wheel 57 and upon the shaft 50.

A spider 58 is placed inside of the frame formed by the rear piece 22, the front piece 23, and the side pieces 24 and 25, the ends of its arms being secured to the webs 36 of the horizontal bars 28 by means of the bolts 59. The spider 53 consists of the circular port-ion UO, having a vertical bore through its center, and the arms G1, 62, 63, and G4 radiate from said circular portion to the corners of the frame. Said arms are T-shaped in cross-section and are attached To the lower part of the circular portion GO and extend slightly up- Fig. 2. integral.

The spider 58 just described is cast A horizontal bore yis formed in the circular portion 6U and intersects the vertical bore in said portion, and a section of upper edge of the rear piece 22.

pipe 56 is screw-seated in said bore 65 and extends outwardly and upwardly to a convenient position, and an oil-box G7 is attached to the upper end of said pipe.

The base of the machine, as described, is nearly square in plan view, and the baseplate 21 rests upon the upper edges of the horizontal bars 29 and 44. A short distance in front of the center of the baseplate 21 is a circular portion 63, extending both above and below the body of the plate and having a vertical bore in vertical alinement with the bore in the circular portion G0. A shaft 69 is mounted with its lower end in the vertical bore in the circular portion 60 and with its upper end projecting upwardly through the vertical bore in said circular portion 68. A worm-gear 70 is rigidly fixed to the shaft 69, above the lower bearing of said shaft and in position to be driven by the worm 5l. A collar 7l is mounted upon the shaft 69, below the upper bearing of'said shaft. A horizontal bore 72 is formed from the side and upper end of the circular 4portion 63 and inter* sects the vertical bore in said circular portion, and a pipe 73 is screw-seated in said bore and extends outwardly from said circular portion above the plate 21 to a position near the edge of said plate and thence upwardly, and an oil-box 74 is attached to the upper end of said pipe. A pair of ears 75 extend downwardly from the lower face of the plate 21 and :inside of the horizontal bar 29 of the left-hand side piece 24, and said ears are scoured to said horizontal bar by means of the bolts 7G. A pair of ears 77 extend downwardly from the lower surface of the plate 21 and inside of the horizontal bar 29 of the right-hand side piece 25, and said ears are secured to said horizontal bar by means of the A lu g 7 9 extends downwardly from the lower face of the plate 21 and near the rear edge thereof, and a rectangular opening 8O is formed through said lug in horizontal alinement with the recess 32, formed in the A lug 31 extends downwardly from near the center of the base-plate 21, and a rectangular opening 82 is formed horizontally through said lug and in alinement with the opening and the recess 32, and a sliding bar 83 is mounted in said opening. A plate 34 is attached to the rear end of the sliding bar 33 and extends downwardly upon the left side of said bar, and said plate has a horizontally-extending opening through its ,lower end through which the driving-belt operates, and the operation of said plate 84, by sliding the bar 83, shifts the driving-belt from the tight pulley 57 to the loose pulley 5.7, and vice versa.

A circular lug S5 is formed upon the lower face of the plate 2l and a belt-shifting lever 3G is placed in the recess 43 and below said lug and is pivotally connected to said lug by means of the lag-screw 87.' ln the free end of the lever 86 is a slot S3, and a pin-89 is fixed in the sliding bar 33and operates in said slot S8, thus forming a pivotal sliding connection IOO IIO

IOl

' from front to rear.

between the lever 86 and the sliding bar 83. Upon the end of the lever 86, opposite the slot 8 8, is a handle 90 for manually operating said lever.

A sliding rod 91 is placed in the recess 40, and its rear end is pivotally connected to the handle end of the lever 86 by means of thebolt 92. Upon the frontend of the rod 91 is a handle 93 for manually operating said rod. By the construction just described the beltshifter mayrbe operated either from the front or left side of the machine, as desired.

The upper end 94 of the shaft 69 is screwthreaded and projects above the bearing in the plate 21, and thechopping-bowl 95 has a screw-threaded bore 96, formed vertically in its center and from its lower surface, and the screw-threaded end 94 of the shaft 69 is seated in said bore 96. Upon the bottom and in the center of the top of the bowl is a circular portion 97, which is flatupon its lower surface and rests upon the upper surface of the circular portion 68. Vthen seen in cross-section, as in Fig. 2, the portions 98, which project outwardly and upwardly from the portion 97 of the bowl, are segments of a circle, and all parts of the-bowl are circular when seen in plan. The segments of the inner surfaces of the portions 98 intersect each other eXactly in the center of the bowl, thus forming the conical elevation 99.. The weight of the bowl and all the parts attached thereto is supported by the plate 21, and the bowl is rotated by the operation of the worm 51, operating the worm-gear 70.

Mounted upon the left-hand rear corner of the plate 21 is a post 100, having the ear 101 projecting forwardly from its lower end and an ear 102 projecting toward the right from its lower end, and said post is held securelyin position upon said plate 21 bymeans of the lag-screws 103, inserted through said ears and into said plate.

The posts 104 and 105 are mcuntedin a line upon the plate 2l and in front of said post 100, and each of said posts 104 and 105 have ears 106 projecting, one forwardly and one backwardly, from. the lower ends of said posts, and said posts are held in position upon said plate by means of the lag-screws 107, inserted through said ears and into said plate. The upper ends 108 of the posts 100, 104, and 105 are turned, and horizontal apertures are formed through said turned ends, near the upper ends thereof, and from left to right in horizontal positions to receive the spring-cotters 109, which spring-cotters are attached to the chains 110, and said chains are in turn attached to their respective posts, as shown in Fig. 3. Upon the right-hand rear corner of the plate 2l is mounted a post 111,' which is identical with the post 100, with the exception that instead of the turned upper end the upper end 112 of said post 111 is transversely bifurcated, and a circular aperture is formed horizontally through said bifurcated portion The ear 113 extends forwardly from the lower' end of said post 111, and the ear 114 extends toward the left from the lower end of said pcst, and said post is held in position by means of the lag-screws 115, inserted through said ear andinto said plate 21. v

The post 116 (shown in Fig. 2) is mounted upon the plate 21 in transverse alinement with the post 104 and in front of thepost 111. The post 116 is attached to the plate in the same manner as the post 104 is attached, and its upper end is bifurcated and apertured in the same manner as the upper end of the post 111.

The post 117 (partially shown in Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 5) is mounted upon the plate 21 in transverse alinement with the post and in longitudinal alinement with the posts 111 and 116. The post 117 is identical in construction with the post 116.

A post 118 is mounted in the center of the rear side of the plate 21 and in transverse alinement with the posts 111 and 100. An ear 119 (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4) projects inwardly from the lower end of the post 118, and a lag-screw 120 is inserted through said ear and. screw-seated in said plate 21, thus holding said post 118 securely in position. The upper end 121 of the post 118 is transversely bifurcated, and a horizontal aperture is formed from front to rear through said bifurcated portion to receive the springcotter 122, and said spring-cotter is attached to the chain 123, which chain is in turn attached to the post 118, as shown in Fig. 4.

The hinge-plate 124 (shown in plan in Fig. 1) is mounted above the posts, which are attached to the base-plate 21 in the following manner: Perforated ears 125 project downwardly from the lower face of the plate 124, and said ears are positioned between the bifurcated portions of the posts 111, 116, and 117, and pins 126 are inserted through said bifurcated portions of said posts and through IIO said perforated ears, thus forming a pivotal and hinge connection between the plate 124 and the base of the machine. A perforated ear 127 projects downwardly from the rear edge of the hinge-plate 124 and between the bifurcated portions of the post 118, and the spring-cotter 122 is inserted through said bifurcated portion of said post 118 and through the perforation in said ear. In the left-hand side of the plate 124 are formed vertical apertures, through which the turned portions of the posts 100, 104, and 105, respectively, are inserted. After the plate has been positioned upon said turned portions and the spring-cotters are inserted through said turned portions the plate is held securely in position.

The plate 124 covers the larger portion of theA bowl 95, and when it is desired to gain free access to said bowl the spring-cotters 109 vand 122 are removed from their respective apertures, and the plate 124 may be read'ilyturned upwardly from the left side of the machine, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The plate 124 consists of the central portion 128, the rear portion 129, and the front portion 130, which portions ext-end entirely across the machine, as shown in Fig. 1. Between the central portion 128 and the rear portion 129 is a long narrow opening 131, which eX,-

tends nearly across the lnachine, and the ends of the portions 128 and 129 are connected by the bars 132 and 133. Between the central portion 129 and the front portion 130 is an opening 134 similar to the opening 131, and the ends of said portions 128 and 130 are connected by the portions 135 and 136 in such a way that the lower surface of the portions 135 and 136 are on a plane with the upper surface of the portions 128 and 130.

-Beads 137 project upwardly from all the edges of the hinge-plate 124 and connect with each other, thus forming basins, which basins will hold any oil, dirt, or other matter which may fall upon the plate 124 and prevent said oil and dirt from passing into the choppingbowl.

Upon the rear portion 129 of the plate 124 vare formed elevations 138 and 139, which elevations form the lower parts of the split bearings 140` and 141, respectively. Upon the front piece 13.0 of the plate 124 are formed elevations 142 and 143 in longitudinal alinement, respectively, with the elevations 138 and 139, which elevations form the lower part of the split bearings 144 and 145, respectively. Projecting upwardly from near theleft-hand end ofthe rear piece 129 is a post 146, in which is formed a bearing for the stub-shaft 147.

The front portion 130 of the plate 124 is wider at its ends than at the points intermediate of its ends for the purpose of allowing as large an opening as possible into the front side of the bowl without elevating the plate. The parts composing the plate 124, as described, are all cast integral.

Shafts 148 and 149 are mounted in parallel positions, and said shafts are held in position relative to4 their respective bearings by means of the caps 150, composing the upper parts of said bearings, which caps are held in position by means of the lag-screws 151, as shown in Fig. 1. Abalance-wheel152 is mounted upon the shaft 148 and Within the opening 131, and a similar balance-wheel 153 is mounted upon the shaft 149 within the opening 131, said balance-wheels being mounted out of' alinement, so that their rims may overlap each other, as shown in Fig. 1. A belt-wheel 154 is loosely mounted upon the rear end of the stub-shaft 147 and in alinement with the belt-wheel 56 and serves as an idler. A belt-wheel 155 is rigidly fixed upon the rear end of the shaft 148, and a similar belt-wheel 156 is rigidly fixed upon the rear end of the shaft 149. The belt-wheels 155 and 156 are in alinement with the idler 154 and the belt-wheel 56, and a belt 157 is placed upon the belt-wheel 56and passes upwardly to the left of the idler 154 and over said idler, thence over the belt-wheel 56 and down upon the right-hand side of said beltwheel and under said belt-wheel, thence to the left over the belt-wheel 155 and down upon the left-hand side of said belt-wheel, as required to drive the shafts 148 and 149 in opposite directions by the operation of the beltwheel 56. Oil-boxes 158 are attached to the bearings of the shafts 148 and 149. A driving-belt 159 connects the source of motive power with the belt-wheel 57 and drives the machine. The portions 160 of the shafts 148 and 149 above the opening 134 are enlarged and screw-threaded, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Pairs of notches 161, 162, and 163 are cut in said screw-threaded portions, and the faces formed by each of the notches composing a pair are parallel with each other. The correspondin g faces of the different pairs of notches are formed at angles of one hundred and twenty degrees relative to each other, as indicated in Fig. 11. Each of the knives 164 has a slot 165 in its head, and the arms formed by said slot are inserted in the notches 161, 162, or 163, as the case may be, as shown in Fig. 8. Nuts 166 are placed upon the screwthreaded portion 160 of the shaft, there being a nut upon each side of each knife, as shown in Fig. 9. Slots 167 are formed in opposite sides ofthe nuts, as shown in Fig. 2, and are designed to be engaged by a Spanner for operating said nuts. Thus it will be seen that the knives are held from rotation upon the shaft by reason of their being inserted in the slots 161, 162, or 163, as the case may be, and that they may be adjusted laterallyupon the shaft by the manipulation of the nuts 166 and that the points of the knives may be adjusted to and from the shaft by loosening the corresponding nuts and sliding the arms formed by said slot-s 165 in the required direction and then tightening the nuts again. The knives carried by the different shafts operate upon opposite sides of the cone 99 in the bowl, as shown in Fig. 2, and the points of the knives may be adjusted to cut as close to the inner surface of the portions 98 of the bowl as may be desired, and said inner surface is in a positionconcentric to the axis of the knives which operate against said surface. The brushes 168 and 168 are placed against the upper surface of the portions 135 and 136, respectively, of the hingeplate 124, as shown in Fig. 3. In the center of each of the portions 135 and 136 are formed vertical slots 169 and 170,which slots extend iny a direction transversely of the machine, and the thumb-screws 171 and 172 are inserted through the slots 169 and 170, respectively, and are screw-seated in the brushes 168 and 1686, respectively, as shown in Fig. 2. The fingers 173 of the brushes extend inwardly over the bowl, and the knives operate between said fingers, as shown in Figs. 1 and 9. Upon the outer ends of the brushes are handles 174 for operating the same when it is desired to remove and clean the brushes.

The slots 169 and 170 provide for the lateral adjustment of the brushes as required to bring the inner ends of the fingers 17 3 to IOO IIO

`means of the thumb-screws 171 and 172.

the desired position relative to the respective shafts.

A scraper 17 5 is attached to the left-hand end of the portion 130 of the hinge-plate' 124 and extends downwardly into the choppingbowl, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The scraper 175 is formed of a piece of sheet metal and is attached tothe under side of the plates by moans of the rivets 176, and the scraping edge 177 conforms closely to the shape of the bowl and is designed to throw the meat which is being chopped constantly toward the center of the bowl as thebowl is rotated under the scraper.

A scraper 178, corresponding in every essential to the scraper 175, is attached to the front and right-hand vcorner of the portion 128 of the hinge-plate 124 and extends downwardly into the bowl, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and upon the opposite side of said bowl from the first-mentioned scraper.

A sheet-metal cap 179 is placed over the knives and is removably held in position by The cap 179 consists of the side pieces 180 and 181, which are substantially alike and of the shape shown in elevation in Fig. 2, and said side pieces are connected by the top piece 182, which extends from side to side of the machine and has slotted apertures in its ends through which the thumb-screws 169 and 170 operate. The lower edges of the side pieces 180 and 181 have the slots 183 designed to receive the shafts 148 and 149,as shown in Fig. 5. Otherwise said lower edges rest directly upon the hinge-plate 124.

I claim- 1. In a meat-cutting machine, the base 20 consisting of the rear piece 22 having a web 36 projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane,

said web 36 being shorter than said rear piece 22, the front piece-23 having a web 36 pro'- jecting inwardly in a horizontal plane, said web 36 being shorter than said front piece, and the side pieces 24'and 25 connecting said rear and front pieces, the ends of said side pieces engaging the inner faces of said front and rear pieces and the inner faces of said side pieces engaging the ends of said webs, substantially as specified. Y

2. In a meat-cutting machine, the base 20; said base consisting of the rear piece 22 having a web 36 projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane; said web 36 being shorter than said rear piece 22, the front piece 23 having a web 36 projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane,v said web 36 being shorter than said front piece, and the side pieces 24 and 25 connecting said rear and front pieces, the ends of said 6oy side pieces engaging the inner faces of said front and-rear pieces and the inner faces of said side' pieces engaging the ends of said webs; the spider 58, having the circular portion 60 at its center, mounted in a horizontal position in said base and having its arms attached to said webs 36, substantially as specified.

3. In a meat-cutting machine, the base 20; said base consisting of the rear piece 22 having aweb 36 projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane, said web 36 being shorter than said rear piece 22, the front piece 23 having a web 36 projecting inwardly in a horizontal plane, said web 36 being shorter than said front piece, and the side pieces 24 and 25 connectin g said rear and front pieces, the ends of said side pieces engaging the inner faces of said front and rea-r pieces and the inner faces of said side pieces engaging the ends of said webs; the spider 58 having the circular portion 60 at its center, mounted in a horizontal position in said base and having its arms attached to said webs 36, the base-plate 21 mounted above said spider and resting upon the upper edges of the rear piec'e 22, the front piece 23 and the side pieces 24 and 25, the ears 75 projecting downwardly from said baseplate inside of said side piece 24 and secured to said side piece by means of bolts, the ears 77 projecting downwardlyfrom said-plateinside of the side piece 25 and secured to said side piece by bolts, a shaft mounted in vertically-alined bearings through said circular portion 60 of the spider and through said baseplate 21 and having a screw-threaded upper end,a chopping-bowl having a screw-threaded bore in its center and formed from its lower side in which bore the screw-threaded end of said shaft is screw-seated, said bowl resting upon said base-plate, and means of rotating said shaft, substantially as specified.

4. In a meatcutting machine, the hinged plate 124 having the openings 131 and 134 eX- tending transversely of the machine and near the ends of said plate, the shafts 148 and 149 mounted upon said plate transversely of said openings, balance wheels upon said shafts and operating in said opening 131, choppingknives mounted upon said shafts and operating in said opening 134, and means for operating said shafts, substantially as specified.

5. In a meat-cutting machine, the hinged plate 124 having the openings 131 and 134 eX- tending transversely of the machine and near the ends of said plate, the shafts 148 and 149 mounted upon said plate transversely of said openings, balance-wheels upon said shafts and operating in said opening 131, choppingknives mounted upon said shafts and operating in said opening 134, means of operating said shafts, the brushes 167 and 168 adjustably attached to said hinged plate and extending into said opening 134, the scrapers 175 and 178 attached to and depending downwardly from said hinged plate, and the sheet-metal cap 179 removably attached to said hinged plat-e and covering said opening 134, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tW,o witnesses.

CHRISTIAN W. HINRIOHS. Witnesses:

EDWARD E. LONGAN, MAUn GRIFFIN.

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